Shiho Makoto: If politicians just cater to the public, the country will eventually perish! Have they caught a whiff of war?

Translation:

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shiho Makoto, who serves as the vice chairman of the "League for the Establishment of a Defense Technology Museum" (Chairperson: former Defense Minister Nakatani Gen), visited an exhibition organized by the NPO "Committee to Establish a Defense Technology Museum" on October 26th and delivered a special speech. In his speech, he once again emphasized that Self-Defense Forces officers need to be able to answer questions in the Diet.

As the vice chairman of the "League for the Establishment of a Defense Technology Museum," former Japanese Prime Minister Shiho Makoto visited Odawara City on October 26th. At the event hosted by the NPO "Committee to Establish a Defense Technology Museum," he toured exhibits including the Type 95 light tank and bulldozers modified from the Type 95 light tank for civil engineering and snow removal, along with Growth Strategy Minister Kido Minoru, who serves as the secretary-general of the parliamentary league.

He then gave a speech titled "Security and Defense Technology," stating the following: "I believe it is impossible to handle defense work without understanding the Self-Defense Forces Act and the Defense Agency Setup Act. It is also impossible to handle defense work if one cannot distinguish between the Type 90 tank and the Type 10 tank. Not only the Japan-US Security Treaty, but if one does not understand the Status of Forces Agreement, one will be helpless." He further pointed out: "Some may think 'such things won't happen,' but if there are incidents in Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula at the same time, we will not be able to cope unless we fully consider the consequences of acting together with the US forces stationed in Japan and the UN forces stationed in South Korea. We must clearly realize that when the time comes, by the time you are frantically flipping through the Six Codes, a disastrous situation would have already occurred."

Moreover, the former prime minister, who has consistently advocated that "Self-Defense Forces officers should be able to answer questions in the Diet," reiterated this view in his speech on the 26th: "In any country, soldiers appear before the Diet to answer questions, but not in Japan. Is that correct? I don't think so. I admit that I am a military 'enthusiast' and a weapons 'fanatic,' but these are all just theoretical discussions. I have never driven a tank, a fighter plane, or a destroyer under life-threatening conditions. Those who truly risk their lives, if they are not allowed to stand in that position and tell us 'how does this law work?' and 'what is the performance of this tank?', how can true civilian control over the military be realized?"

Furthermore, he concluded: "If politicians just cater to the public, the country will eventually perish. What kind of politician is he if he is afraid to speak against the public?" He finally said: "I do not want the Liberal Democratic Party to become a party that seeks only temporary comfort and its own interests. I hope it becomes a party that speaks the truth with real courage and sincerity."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847179348605960/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.